Verse by Verse

Hi. I'm David Johnston, and this is verse by verse, a short podcast all about exploring the insights and lessons of the inspired word of God. Passage we're considering in this episode is one that brings back a frustrating memory for me. I'll tell you about it in just a moment. But, first, let's read the passage.

Romans 6 verse 23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. When I read that verse, I'm reminded of a meeting I had with a religious man several years ago. He was one of those sincere people who took every opportunity to try to talk his fellow workers into accepting his view of Christianity. He carried his Bible with him wherever he went and was quick to turn to it whenever anyone asked him a question.

Some of the pages were well worn, and he had obviously turned to those pages frequently. Others appeared unused. A mutual acquaintance suggested he might enjoy talking with me. We met and began a friendly discussion of our beliefs. In the course of the conversation, I brought up this passage and read it to him.

When I explained that the passage said the outcome of sin was death, he interrupted me and said, but that's not what it means. I asked what he thought it meant, and he explained that it really meant the person who died as a sinner would live forever suffering in hell. But I explained it says living in sin produces death, not life. Humans are mortal and have no intrinsic hope of eternal life once this physical life is over. Eternal life is a gift that can only be given by Jesus Christ.

No matter what I said, no matter what other verses we read that verify this truth, the man could not believe that a dead sinner is really dead. Everyone else in the room could understand that death means the absence of life. But this gentleman refused to accept that. To understand what Paul really meant, we need to briefly consider 2 contrasts in this passage. The first is the difference between wages and gifts.

Wages are what we earn by our efforts. When we work in our occupation, we're paid wages for what we accomplish. The wages are not some special gift. Wages are paid because of obligation, not simply because our employer wants to give them. This passage tells us that when we sin, when we go against the way of life God is clearly defined with his laws, we have earned a death penalty.

Why is that? When we choose to sin, we make choices that bring heartache and suffering to ourselves and to those around us. God takes no pleasure in seeing people suffer. So in his love for all, he will not give such a person the opportunity to keep making those wrong choices by giving him continued life. A gift, on the other hand, is not something we've earned.

It is a kindness given to us by another because they wish to do something good for us. It is impossible to earn a gift. The gift God offers those who embrace his revealed way of life is the opportunity to live that way of life forever. The second contrast in this verse is the contrast between death and eternal life. Scripture reveals that God gave the first human beings, Adam and Eve, the gift of life, but warned them that if they chose to disobey God's instructions, they would die.

Life would be temporary. But the serpent came along and told them that god was not telling them the truth. The serpent lied to them and told them that they could live however they wanted, and they would never really die. They believed him instead of God, and they led all of humanity since that time to believe the same lie. The belief that man has an immortal soul that lives on after the physical body dies is a belief common in pagan religions, but it is found nowhere in the bible.

People believe it because they still choose to believe the serpent's lie instead of God's clear words of truth. The gentleman who cannot believe death means the absence of all life chose to cling tenaciously to the lie instead of allowing God's truth to teach him. Which one will you believe? For the person who chooses the way of disobedience to God, this verse is sobering. But for the person who chooses to believe what God says and live his or her life according to the good way God's law reveals, this verse makes a wonderful promise of hope and blessing that will never come to an end.

Verse by Verse is a companion podcast to the daily bible verse blog, which you can find on the Life, Hope, and Truth Learning Center. Check out the show notes for more.